記憶的一角

2011年回台北拍婚紗照的時候

其中一個選定的場景是南門市場

最想拍的照片裡面要有紅白塑膠袋

攝影師從來沒有在濕漉漉又混亂的市場中穿梭照相過

照片後來的品質沒有想像中完美

因為無法依賴照片存取回憶的工作

當天一場一景，一邊一角 我都牢記下來 倒成了人生少數極度深刻的印象  

碎建築 The Shard of London

原載於TA 臺灣建築報導雜誌 2013 三月號

從去年現場聽Renzo Piano講Shard, 再到今年為了準備這篇文章中間聽了很多他的訪談。
除了發現Renzo很愛同一款式顏色的毛衣（淺灰藍，真的，不同時候的錄影都有這件），
還發現英國近幾年完成的摩天大廈，居然都是在工黨當權下的地方政府所准許。
以往左派注重平價國宅建設的工黨，在90年代後期逐漸有向政治天平中傾的趨勢。
2000年當選的倫敦市長李文斯頓(Ken Livingstone)過去雖然身為超級大左派，
在80年代倫敦泰晤士河南岸的Coin Street 庇護當地居民，讓他們以超低價格取得土地權，
硬是不讓Richard Rogers的（右派）辦公／住宅／商業開發案通過。事過境遷20多年後，
同樣混合性的開發案，更高，更 ‘右派’的Shard (設計者還是Rogers的好朋友）聳立在倫敦橋車站旁，下了台的市長轉成笑臉，自豪地說倫敦奧運還有Shard都是他任內最引以為傲的成就。

政治立場與建築立場相互影響。在最好的時間作最好的決定比建築面貌或政治立場來說都重要的很。 我在想，若是時間點顛倒， Coin Street Regeneration 發生在現在，Shard 發生在80年代，會有什麼樣的影響，會帶給當時社會什麼樣的挑戰?

延伸閱讀：Coin Street Regeneration (可茵街更新）連接這邊

布達佩斯

去年在布達佩斯過了一個短週末。隔了一年的冬日回味起來，雪花，暖陽，輕軌列車，甜點，熱湯，溫泉，件件可以是人生中不可或缺又得之不易的寶物。

＊建築＊

匈牙利的新藝術風格令人著迷，雖然沒有拉脫維亞被列入世界遺產的新藝術建築群龐大集中，但城市中偶然碰上的建築都很合我胃口。整體上自然浪漫的人物形象較少，機械感稍強。其他人認為傳統的匈牙利民族圖案， 東方的裝飾元素和新藝術風格混合後使用在城市的建築物上，因此產生了現代而且獨特的匈牙利建築風格 [source]。

＊溫泉＊

圖片來源

Rudas的用餐區

有泉水的城市特別吸引人。布達佩斯有好多溫泉會館。我們選了可以 "夜泡"的 Rudas溫泉，相傳在15世紀就建成，是城內少數留下來的土耳其建築（不過館外看起來很像大型的人民福利社）。館內中間八角形的主池旁由拱門／石柱圍繞起來，加上其他不同溫度的幾個泉水池，桑拿，蒸汽浴，游泳池，石作躺椅，可以讓人在裡面玩上一天。一整晚不限時間，票價大約和看一場電影差不多。

＊食物＊

布達佩斯四季分明，物產豐富，菜餚常有水果入菜。盛產鵝肝，價錢比多數國家要實惠很多。因此每天至少都吃得到鵝肝，最喜歡請餐廳把它加在牛排上。兩者肥美香醇，佐酸甜的梅子／棗子（？）醬真是難以忘懷，年輕還可貪吃，年紀大了後怕是得忌口。

＊甜點＊

在漁人堡散步的時候，進去附近的旅館用洗手間，掌櫃的男孩推薦我們去附近的Ruszwurm，已有180多年歷史。他大力讚好吃的奶油酥皮蛋糕真的想一塊接著一塊吃。1987年， 漁人堡城堡區和多瑙河畔的景色被聯合國教科文組織列入世界遺產。本區地下有個錯綜複雜的地道結構，可惜現已不能參觀。

＊中央市場＊

不知從什麼時候開始，每每到新的地方，如果有市場就一定會安排半天的行程，吃早午飯，買紀念品（通常是能吃的乾貨或香料）。寫到這裡，旅行途中還有好多令人難忘的市場，下次應該整理一篇市場大觀。

近代的布達佩斯飽經爭戰，上個世紀，納粹屠殺城中三分之一的猶太人，接下來有蘇俄煽動的匈牙利十月事件血腥鎮壓（找資料的時候發現，這次事件也是AK-47步槍首次曝光及用於實戰的案例。）2004年後加入歐盟，物價漸長，現在的布達佩斯是單身派對的重鎮，週末夜夜笙歌，但我實在喜歡那些藏在名勝後面高大堅固的石作建築，他們灰僕僕的，卻常有細緻的裝飾。在它們下面講話聲音特別凝聚。一個包頭巾的老婦走過，健步如飛，看起來硬朗。硬朗，這整座城市真像她。

在這裡，沒有輕軌經過的地方很安靜。只有些許腳步聲迴盪在街上，分不清是誰的，唯一能聽見嘩嘩的水聲，你便知道多瑙河在那裡，知道河在那裡，也就知道自己在那裡。

小年夜裡的海水

偶然看到29歲那年寫的一篇紀事，在盛夏的Santorini：

too much sun
dehyration
頭髮像烤乾的海帶
脫，游，吃，睡的旅程
熱到見著什麼都像還是蜃樓的幻影：
太完美的夕陽，正藍的海水，假到像道具的月亮

駕車繞島，
糊唸看不懂的希臘文路名
島上就三條路
想迷失也不行
賞日落
想這個島之外的事情
全部放空的時刻
我是一個很好的人

末日

12月21日迫在眉睫，
誰都無可避免會幻想末日到來的景況－彗星撞地球、外星人入侵、致命病毒、殭屍吸血鬼...

如果末日真的到來，大家離開這個世界，你站在天堂門口，看門的人問你
「我為什麼要讓你進來？」 你會怎麼回答？

要說：「我雖不完美，但我做的好事比壞事多很多，我配進天堂」？「我樂捐又愛助人」？「我沒偷搶拐騙，也沒殺人放火」？還是 「我根本不屑什麼天堂」？

我們都救不了自己，對自己的缺點很多時候一點辦法也沒有，有時候就算不做，心裡想的事情也邪惡得很。 一輩子不能做到完全問心無愧。

如果天堂是絕對的，毫無瑕疵、清清白白的地方，誰配得進去？

對基督徒來說，標準答案只有一個：完美的上帝的天堂是完美的，代罪羔羊耶穌替我把我的大罪小罪通通一筆勾銷，因為他，我可以坦然無懼地進入毫無瑕疵的天堂

《庇佑上海:我的摩登夢》 新書序

庇佑上海:我的摩登夢
序-楊思勤

謝敏行選擇到上海作畫我不驚訝. 我驚訝的是她這麼晚才去.

上海和其他世界主要城市相比絕對是個異類。它不是倫敦，巴黎這種經歷幾個世紀，慢慢崛起成為首都的城市; 不如因為天然資源豐饒而發展起來的中東大城，也不像麻六甲或威尼斯，因為位於海陸交通要塞而繁榮。上海在1842年的<南京條約>中被迫開為通商口岸， 各國陸續進駐，瓜分上海，成立租界。上海是在強權下開創出來的城市。中西文化在此碰撞衝擊, 使上海的都市發展充滿尷尬與矛盾。

張愛玲曾提到， “上海人是傳統的中國人加上近代高壓生活的磨練。新舊文化種種畸形產物的交流，結果也許是不甚健康的，但是這里有一種奇異的智慧”。 謝敏行和上海很合適。她們都很聰明，很迅變。余秋雨也說過，上海人的精明估算，反映在文化上，就體現一種“雅俗共賞”的格局。他們很現實，因此會顧及到現實的可行性和觀者的接受度。他們有一種天然的化解功能，把學理融化於世俗，讓世俗閃耀出智慧”。用兩個月的時間來描繪一個陌生城市並不容易，更遑論深為全球城市之一的上海。在這點上，謝敏行和上海一樣充滿抱負，也一樣投機，她畫出一張張關於上海摩登的夢。頌讚，同時譏諷。


千篇一律的談到上海，我們便會千篇一律的想到它的歌舞昇平，十里洋場，想到它的百樂門，和平飯店， 租界裡的歐式洋樓。我們還會想到上海在小說和電影裡的面貌: 不管是電影<滾滾紅塵>裡面中日混戰的剪影，或是張愛玲《紅玫瑰白玫瑰》 裡面“工東工東”上升的電梯公寓，又或是連續劇《上海灘》裡面三零年代的旗袍，摩登的髮型。 謝敏行所描繪的故事都有這些元素。

她稱她畫中的各樣物品為上海的護身符。在二零到四零年代的老上海, 它們各各是摩登的象徵, 西化的身份證。到了現在，它們則是保守人心，為上海歷史護航的古玩和紀念品。物質層面上的留存確保了精神上的懷舊。所有的象徵和符號不只成為上海人自己的文化依歸，也是其他人的爛漫嚮往— 這是畫家的「頌讚」。

而從另一角度來看， 護身符可能是變形的緊箍咒。寄情於老東西，老回憶的同時讓人類有了逃避現實的機會。於是我們反而被這些東西綑綁與限制— 這則是畫家的「譏諷」。 這種矛盾呼應了上海最根本的租界心態—生活在租界中雖然能避免租界外的爭亂，國泰民安的背後，寄居的租界其實沒有自由，是個監獄，但大家甘願待在那裡。

在上海，逝去的偉大光榮遍地可見，但城市的新生命（除了金融業）卻相對虛弱。在描繪上海追尋摩登的同時，謝敏行於此次系列畫作中不斷重複「囚禁」、「禁閉」的語彙 (例如城牆，老時鐘，香水瓶蓋，鴉片燈…等) 再再暗示上海在追求現代化的過程中故步自封的矛盾和自我懷疑。這些陰暗面和詭幻感在謝敏行的筆下一覽無遺。 而《裸體課》裡撇頭不願示人的裸女則體現了西化在文明仍欠成熟的環境下尷尬又可悲的一面。


謝敏行上一次的駐村創作是兩年前在日本別府，那時的畫作呈現村民和珍玩寶物之間極度親密的情感尺度。而從這次她在上海的系列畫作中，我們則可以觀察到她較於勇敢地去挑戰大尺度的議題。先將格局漸漸放大，再縮回到最小的手法令人玩味，例如 <法國舞女> 這幅畫中勾勒出老上海的地圖，標出洋人蓋的醫院和教堂，圖中放大鏡下照亮的不是物品，而是一個真實的法國女人。

上海開埠以來的170年， 她曾經是洋腔洋調，燙頭髮，上教會的新時代女性，現在可能是滿手文憑， 外商公司年終百萬的領導。不管什麼時代，何種身份，上海至今仍然在經營她的摩登夢，一棟棟摩天超高樓令人瘋狂，蓋一層樓只需兩天半! 這是國家大業，每個人永無止盡地朝現代化快步走去。

當記念和回憶成了牢籠和枷鎖，當護身符不再庇祐反倒詛咒，摩登終究如夢。懷舊這等行為是布爾喬亞階級才能享有的閒情雅致。大批湧入上海的農工為了家計， 可有立場緬懷過去? 社會底層的草根階級呢? 我們呢？我們的摩登夢呢? 庇佑我們的又是誰呢? 謝敏行留下一個擂臺，讓我們自己與自己鬥爭，清算出隱藏在我們心中對於摩登的理想，看見捉住我們的護身符。

work-in-progress (c) Sarah Tse

Shanghai and its Talisman

Foreword by Chris Yang

I’m not surprised to hear that Sarah Tse is painting in Shanghai at this particular moment. In fact, I’m just surprised that it took her so long.

Compared to other major cities in the world, Shanghai is undoubtedly unique. It is unlike London or Paris – both medieval cities which have gradually evolved to develop capital status. It is unlike those oil-rich and resourceful cities of the Middle East and neither is it like Malaga or Venice which have created powerful urban legends due to their geographically strategic locations linking the continents and sea for trading.

It was not until the British victory over China in the First Opium War and the subsequent 1842 Treaty of Nanking, that Shanghai was forced to open up as a trading port - allowing various nations to establish their concessions and settlements in the city. At this point Shanghai witnessed the collision between traditional Chinese culture and western values. Its urban development has since been the result of endless contradictions.

Elieen Chang once said that “Shanghainese is the group of Chinese people who are punctured and repressed by the extreme pressure of modernization. The city is full of all sorts of malformation, rising up from the collision of old and new. The result may not be healthy at all, but within it there appears a strange wisdom.”

Sarah is more than compatible with Shanghai. Shanghainese are clever, they are fast. Yu Qiuyu also mentions the Shanghai characteristic of being shrewd and scheming. When reflected on at the cultural level, Shanghai can be appreciated by all (upper, middle and lower) classes. The Shanghainese are utilitarian and profit-minded, therefore they always bear the practicality in mind and are aware of the mass acceptance. They bear natural talents - in that they can digest and interpret deep knowledge and make it accessible for all. As such, even the secular urban inhabitants / dwellers in Shanghai can flaunt their wisdom. In this respect, Sarah is very much like Shanghai; full of aspiration, charisma and cheek. She has drawn a series of paintings capturing Shanghai’s dream of modernity, displaying both praise and mockery.

When one talks about Shanghai, It is unavoidable to mention its bustling streets and urban lives; the International Settlement, the grand Paramount, the Peace Hotel, and the extravagant buildings of the concessions. We also recall those passages and images of Shanghai in literature and cinema: be it the scenes of the Second Sino-Japanese war, or the lift apartment from written by Eileen Chang, or even the charming qi-pao and modern Thirties hair-do, as illustrated in the sequel . Sarah captures all these elements in her drawing. 

Sarah calls these objects of her drawings ‘talismans’. From the Nineteen-Twenties to Forties, these objects were symbols of modernity - an Identity Card of westernization. Now they become antiques and souvenirs that keep and safeguard Shanghai’s history. Material preservation ensures a mental nostalgia. All these symbols and images not only become part of the cultural destiny of the Shanghainese, but also entice a romantic yearning for the rest of us—this is what Sarah celebrates.

From another point of view, a talisman can also be a curse. When human beings place their nostalgic feelings in antiques or fragments of memory, it provides an opportunity to escape from reality. Therefore these objects or emotions restrain and limit us—this is what Sarah mocks. The paradox reflects the root problem of Shanghai’s ‘concession mentality’—on the one hand, living in the concessions can keep one safe from war and disaster. On the other hand, behind the peaceful appearance, concessions enjoy no true freedom. We remember that the Chinese were effectively ‘lodgers’, living under foreign authorities and foreign jurisdictions.  Each concession, then, is seen as a jail, but with its inhabitants as voluntary prisoners.

Sarah perfectly pictures the dark and creepy side of Shanghai which is full of dead glories but lacking of new live forms (except for the financial industry). While Sarah pictures Shanghai’s dream of modernization, she also uses the leitmotifs of ‘captivity’ and ‘enclosure’ (ie. The city wall, the antique clock, the perfume cap, the opium lamp…etc) in her drawings to hint at the paradox of Shanghai’s refusal to move on whilst simultaneously striving for modernity. The nude model, who turns her face away amidst a group photo, in suggests the pathetic awkwardness of a China not fully prepared for westernization.  

Sarah last participated in an artist in residence program 2 years ago- in the small village of Beppu, Japan. The small scale of this previous series of drawings focuses on the intimacy and strong sense of belonging between the personal treasures and their owners. In Shanghai, we observe that she is braver now to take on more complex issues in a wider social/historical context. She expands her theme and scales into a greater and higher perspective, before zooming in again to the micro level of her subjects—a truly fascinating technique. For instance, in she illustrates the profile of an old map of Shanghai, denoting the hospitals and churches that were built by the western colonizers. A huge magnifier displays neither objects nor buildings, but a real historical figure who was once famous in Shanghai. 

The opening of Shanghai marks its 170th anniversary this year. Shanghai was once like a modern woman—featured in western style, hair permed, perhaps a church goer. Now she may look like a chief executive with various titles and qualifications, working in a global firm, earning fat bonuses each year. No matter which era, or which identity she bears, Shanghai has always been pursuing her dream in searching for modernity. The extreme fast speed of construction in China is chilling — it only takes 2.5 days to complete a skyscraper. This is the grand scheme of the century, for Shanghai, for China, and for all. Everyone is sucked into the whirlpool of modernization, still marching on.

When remembrance and memory become traps and chains and talismans do not protect but curse, modernity is nothing but an impression, a dream. Nostalgia is just a privilege for the bourgeoisie. The hundreds/thousands of farmers and peasants from inland China who land in Shanghai every year cannot afford to be nostalgic.  They may only look forward to make a living. What about the grassroots at the bottom of the society? What is their dream for modernity? What are their talismans? Perhaps Sarah’s paintings do not provide all the answers. In posing the questions, however, she provokes a reflection on our own ideals of modernity and the talisman-images entangled within.

Exhibition Homepage: http://www.office339.com/en/exhibitions/shnitstalisman/

“Shanghai and its Talisman” Sarah Tse Solo Exhibition

Opening Reception: Saturday 8 December 2012, 5pm~
Duration: 8 December 2012 – 2 February 2013

Curatorial Advisers: Kenta Torimoto (Office339), Keith Whittle, Takashi Serizawa

Venue: Office339 viewing space
Room 202, Building 3, No.50 Moganshan Rd. Shanghai, 200060, China 

《庇佑上海：我的摩登夢》 新書到＋開展！

  

 

新書訂購洽詢，請來信：chris.sc.yang@gmail.com